Paths That Criss Cross
by Brandal
Summary: Xander found out who his real family was. They didn't want him. He left after graduating and instead of his car dying outside of Oxnard, it made it to the road house. Join Xander and the Boys on the adventure of finding trust, family love, and adventure. Other familiar characters including Bobby, Ellen, Ash, and more.
1. Chapter 1

**So I have wanted to do a Buffy/Supernatural thing for a long time. Some of the ideas came from other stories. They gave me the inspiration to combine and explore some of the things that I was confused on in some of the other stories. I know buffy has been over forever but I still wanted to do something. Xander is actually younger in this story line. It does follow some things and the others I made up. I do not own anything and I do not have a beta so all mistakes are mine. If you have questions I will answer them. **

Xander was just a boy. He was just a boy when he found out that his father was not his father. The man that he had called father got into one of his drunken rages and laid into him saying a bunch of crap that Xander wasn't paying attention to because it was just the ranting of a man who wasn't happy. Xander took the abuse and usually moved on but this time was different. This time the man took pleasure in it. Xander noticed the change right away. The punches were harder. The taunting was more direct. That was when he decided that he was going to pay attention to what the man was saying. Tony was ranting that he wasn't even his son. News flash to Xander, this was a good thing. But if Tony wasn't his dad then who the hell was? Then he noticed something else about Tony. His eyes weren't right. They were all black. He knew this town wasn't right but he didn't realize how until just this moment. It the end of this particular battle Xander knew who his father was and he needed to go to the hospital. Tony went to do something else because he was bored. Tony usually passed out so he knew something wasn't right with "this" Tony.

Xander eased himself off the floor. His mother was passed out on the couch so she wasn't going to be much help, like she ever was. He went to the phone and called Jessie. Xander always kept a bag in the closet by the door for his trips to the hospital. He had a little time before sunset to get there. He told Jessie what he was doing and he grabbed his bag and slowly made his way to the hospital. He never called Willow even though he knew she knew something was going on. He asked Jessie to ask Willow if she would look up the man though. Hopefully she would be able to find something. She was a genius with everything that she did so maybe she could find the man who was supposed to be his father.

Xander walked in through the emergency doors of the hospital and saw the nurse that usually tended to him after one of Tony's specials. She saw him immediately and ushered him to the room he had known for a couple years now. He settled in for the x-rays and pain killers that he knew they would give him. He sat in the room that was the only safe haven that he ever knew. He thought about what his dad is like. Did he really want to find him? What if he was just like Tony? Willow will find the information and then he would decide. How much worse could it be right? Xander knew for a while though that his mother didn't care. She even forged his papers to make him two years older than he was. Everyone thought that he was 16 when in reality he was just 14. A sophomore in school and in advanced classes thanks to Willow.

Xander spent that weekend in the hospital. Jessie came by with the information Willow had gathered about the man who was supposedly his father. He not only had a father but two brothers and they moved around a lot. Willow found a couple numbers but she didn't know which belonged to who. This said that he had a brother who was 20 and 24. His dad a man named John Winchester had lost a wife in a fire. His brother Sam was at Stanford and Dean moved around as much as his dad did. He picked up the phone from the stand and dialed one of the numbers.

"Hello." A sleepy voice called. Xander froze. This didn't sound like an older man. "Man, it's your dime and I am tired, so speak and tell me who is calling."

Xander worked up the nerve. "Is this John Winchester?"

"No. Who is looking for him?"

"My name is Xander Harris and I am looking for a man named John Winchester. I need to ask him some questions about some things."

"Dude, are you dealing with demons, ghosts, or what?"

"Oh no, it is nothing like that. Well maybe I don't know. No I am calling because I found out he is my father."

Dean who was now awake got pissed. "My dad only had two sons. I don't know who you are but do not call this phone again, and even if he is your father, trust me you do not want to go there. You are probably a product of our dad blowing off steam, do not claim that your family because you're not." Xander couldn't believe this. He was better off without them. "Anything else?"

"No thank you for your time." Xander hung up. He looked at the other numbers and decided to throw it all in the trash. What else was he supposed to do? He wasn't going to waste time on people who obviously didn't care. So after his little stay in the hospital he went back home. Xander would find a way to avoid Tony and his monstrous hits.

((((((((((

Dean couldn't believe the nerve of someone calling and claiming he was a son of John Winchester. Not only that but his dad had another kid? This has got to be some kind of joke. He was wide awake now. He didn't exactly know where his father was but he needed to ask him some questions. Dean decided to call his cell phone.

"Hello"

"Dad, its Dean."

"Yeah, I know it's you Dean. What do you want?"

"I got a strange phone call a minute ago. I need to ask you a question."

"What is it Dean?"

"Do you have another kid?" John Winchester stopped breathing.

"What?"

"Do you have another kid? This kid called my phone and told me that his name was Xander Harris and that he was your son."

John tried to think. "Did he say where he was from?"

"No, but it sounded like his accent was from the west coast. Probably California if I am accurate."

John swore. Jessica, it had to be her. "Dean call that number back. Find out if his mother's name is Jessica."

"So you do have another kid." Dean got angry.

"Just do it Dean. I need to know." With that John hung up. Dean couldn't believe this crap. He hit the call log and pressed send. "Sunnydale Hospital how may I direct your call?

Dean now knew that this was not right on so many levels. "Do you have a Xander Harris staying there?"

"He checked out already. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No thank you." Dean hung up and called his dad back.

"Did you find out?"

"Slight problem."

"What?"

"When I called the number back, I got the Sunnydale hospital. He had already checked out."

John swore again. Yep, it was Jessica. "Never mind then. He is better off where he is. Dean do not bring this up to Sam when you decide to try and call him again. I will take care of this."

"So he is your son. Sammy and I have a brother."

"Yes. You have a brother."

"Dammit dad." Dean hung up. His dad was right. The kid was better off where he was. Dean couldn't go back to sleep though so he decided to do research for another job. The kid kept popping back in his head though. He decided that he was going to have to take a trip to Sunnydale, California. Who is this Xander Harris. If he left tonight he could be there in a couple of days.

Dean left and made the drive. The problem being that he didn't know what the kid looked like. He spied on the town for a few days and after that he gave up. He didn't want anyone to know who he was looking for and he didn't want it getting back to the kid that he was looking for him. So he packed up and left after two days.

(((((((

Xander learned a lot that year. He learned about the things that go bump in the night and Jessie died by his own hand. While he was busy with the slayer and stuff he also learned about hunters and the other monsters out there. Nightly they would go out and stake vampires and kill demons. He got better at fighting and wasn't always bait. They tried to push him aside and when they did that he learned languages. They let him back in the fight and the next thing you know it is graduation. Getting prepared for the mayor and a rogue slayer.

(((((

In the meantime, Dean had gotten Sammy from Stanford. Jess had died and they found their father. They were in the midst of trying to get the yellow eyed Demon.

John had made inquiries to the name and town and found out Xander was about to graduate. So when he left the boys after the shadow demon he called the number for the Harris house. "Hello?"

It was a boy's voice. "Is Xander Harris available?"

"You got him."

"This is John Winchester."

Xander hadn't even thought about that name in so long that it almost skipped his mind. "What do you want?"

"I heard you are about to graduate."

"Your point?"

The kid had the Winchester attitude he would give him that. "I was wondering if I could come to your graduation."

"Why would you want to? I mean you don't care. If you cared you would have contacted me before now and since you haven't I do not think that you should come anywhere near me."

"I do care Alex."

"My name is Xander. You would know that if you bothered to come here and ask. No, you had a better life. I need to get going. Do not bother coming, I don't want you here and even if I did it wouldn't matter because that son of yours that I did call said even if you claimed me I wasn't family. I was just a product of you blowing off steam so maybe it should stay that way." With that Xander hung up. Even if his real dad did care and want to come, he couldn't risk it. The mayor was going to ascend and he didn't want his remaining family to die. That would not be a great family reunion.

(((((((

John couldn't believe it. His son told him to go to hell and not bother contacting him again. He really couldn't blame the kid. He did avoid him even if he just checked on him on occasion. Well maybe it was for the better. It wasn't for a few days but John found out a couple days after the kids' graduation that the school blew up during the ceremony. He drove all night to Sunnydale and stopped in at Jessica's house. He knocked on the door.

Jessica answered the door. She looked rough. "Is Xander here?"

"Why are you here? I thought you were gone."

"Is Xander here?"

"No, he left after graduation. He packed up a car and was going on a road trip. Said he needed to get away from the crazy in his life for a while. Whatever that means."

"So he lived through the explosion at the school?"

"Yes. He graduated and he survived. Now leave if that is all you wanted." Jessica slammed the door. John went back to his truck. At least the kid was alive. John left Sunnydale and met up with his sons. He got possessed and revealed to Dean again about the son he had and informed Sammy that he had a brother. They got the Demon out and had the car accident. John struck the deal with the Demon to save Deans life. In his conversation with Dean to inform him he might have to kill Sam, he also told Dean to find his other brother and bring him into the family. Dean was not happy about this but promised his dad he would.

John Winchester died without ever meeting his youngest son. Dean didn't look for Xander right away either. They had to deal with their dad's death and a few other things. Dean kept the thought in his head though. Then he got the call on his dad's phone from some Ellen chick and had to take a drive to some place called the road house. They asked ash about finding the demon and took on a case.

((((

Xanders car made it past Oxnard. His engine didn't die until he was at a place called Harvell's. He stopped in and asked if he could use the phone. He noticed the man at the bar with a mullet and the young blonde girl. The older woman looked at him kind of strange but said he could. Xander had done some research about his mother's side of the family. He had an Uncle in South Dakota by the name of Robert Singer. It was his mother's brother. He needed to know how he was going to get there since he already got all turned around. Xander laid out his laptop and phone and looked up the name. His uncle owned a salvage yard, so maybe he could tell him how to get there. He dialed the number from the yellow pages page and waited.

Bobby was just wondering how the boys were doing when his local line rang. "Singer Salvage."

"Are you Bobby Singer?"

"Who wants to know?"

"My name is Xander and your sister is my mother. "

"Yeah well who is my sister?"

"Jessica Harris or known as Jessica Singer."

Bobby sat down. He hadn't heard from his sister in years. In fact he hadn't heard from her since she ran away at 17. That was like 25 years ago. "What is your name again boy?"

"My name is Xander Harris."

"What can I do for you?"

"I am at a place call Harvell's and my cars engine just died. I was wondering how I can get to you to meet you."

"I will come there. I know the place well. It will take a couple hours but I will be there."

"Ok, thank you."

Bobby hung up the phone and got his tow truck ready. Even though it was a drive he wasn't going to leave his nephew out there. Unprotected and in the space of hunters. He geared up and left.

Xander hung up the phone and noticed that the three people in the bar were looking at him. "What?"

"You're related to Bobby?"

"You know him? He said he knew this place."

"Yeah we know him. What do you know about him?"

"Nothing. I just found out about him. I just graduated high school and had to get away from the people and the life I had for a while. Thought about taking the great American road trip across country and decided to look for some family instead."

Ellen looked at Joe and Ash. "What was so bad with your life and the people in it?"

"They thought that I was weak, too weak for what they were doing. It's not like I haven't been by their sides the whole time learning to fight and learning ancient freaking languages. Not to mention doing some of the jobs by myself because miss high and mighty didn't want me in the way."

"Sorry boy, but you better go back to the beginning."

"Never mind. I just rant about things that are upsetting."

Ash who had been sitting there inputting the boy's information for the demon looked up at him and asked the simple question. "How long have you been fighting the supernatural?"

Xanders head snapped to look at Ash. "What are you talking about?"

Ash gave him that look of don't fuck with me. "The supernatural. How long have you known about it and fought against it?"

"Since my sophomore year in high school." Xander said on a sigh. "I have been possessed twice. I had to get a special tattoo to make sure it never happened again." He still had those possessions but they helped him more than anything so he just left them there.

Ellen thought the boy looked too young for this. "How old are you?"

"I am 18. Like I said I needed to get away from the crazy for a while and thought that finding some family could do me some good."

"Well that might be a might hard young man."

Xander was confused. "Why?"

"Bobby is a hunter."

Xander thought about it for a minute before swearing. He couldn't just catch a freakin break could he? "Well that is just great. Please tell me he doesn't do it nightly though."

"Hunting is research and then find the thing kind of thing. It could take days or even weeks."

Xander let out a breath. At least it wasn't nightly. He could still get that break he wanted. "That works for me as long as I don't have to go out nightly anymore."

Ellen got confused. "Why would you have to hunt nightly?"

"I lived on top of a hellmouth. If we didn't hunt nightly people died."

They all looked at him in confusion. Ash finally asked, "What is a hellmouth?"

"You don't know what hellmouths are?" Xander looked at them all. "You are hunters. Ok, lesson one. Hellmouth, Boca del Inferno, also known as a portal to many hell dimensions. Demons and vampires and all matter of supernatural usually like it because it is a hotspot of energy from hell."

"Interesting, we have never heard of them outside of the lore."

"Well they are very true and I spent the last three years directly on top of one. My high school was built on top of it."

"Sounds like you have a lot of stories."

"I do but none that I want to go into now."

Ash put it down in another file and decided to research this hellmouth and other demons. They are used to the biblical ones but the way the boy was talking, there was more out there than they thought.

Ellen was looking at the kid again. There was something about him that reminded her of the boys. "Say Xander, do you know of anyone else is the hunting business?"

"No. You are the first people I have met that are hunters outside of the ones back home. We have a slayer, a witch, a watcher, and some not so great people."

"Witches? You hang with witches?"

"My best friend practices. She is all about the elements and saying that she can't do anything dark because it would be bad and twist her soul. So as long as she stays on the straight and narrow we don't have a problem."

"At least she is being monitored. We have problems with witches sometimes and put them down. Most hunters will put anything down that is supernatural. Psychics, mediums, witches, demons, ghosts, and anyone who might be possessed. Just to let you know. I wouldn't go telling anyone but Bobby who you were working with."

"Well Sunnydale was a bit different. We worked with a vampire that has his soul. I think my mailman was a demon. Not the black eyed things that you guys deal with but a different kind. We have demon bars and all kinds of different demons. I mean you wouldn't believe the stuff that we have come across. Wait a minute and I can show you. We scanned all the ancient books into a virtual library that only we can access." Xander booted up the virtual library and turned his computer to face Ellen.

Ellen started scanning as she pulled it over by Ash. Joe came up on her other side. She started scrolling through and looking at all the demons that this kid had in his library. She couldn't believe this kind of stuff was out there. "You deal with this on a nightly basis?"

"Yeah. If we didn't then people died. Not all of the demons in there are violent killing machines. We actually have several neutral or alliance demon communities that we leave alone. Dawn was watched by a demon who eats kittens and plays kitten poker. That was his only crime. We let that go."

Ellen looked at the kid. Wow, she didn't know that all this existed out there. She came to a file that said vampires. She clicked it open and saw what vampires were to them. They were different than the ones that they have dealt with. "Well kid, staying with Bobby you are going to have to update some of your files."

"Why?"  
>"Because the vampires that you deal with and the vampires we deal with are vastly different. Ours are not affected by holy icons or water. The only way to kill them is to cut their heads off and burn the bodies."<p>

Xander took the knowledge in. He wondered if the counsel knew about this. Whatever. "Good to know."

Ellen continued to read through the kids files. He must have come across vastly different things in his life. On a side note, out loud she said, "I wonder if we should tell the boys about this stuff."

Ask looked at her. If she didn't tell the boys he was going to. Xander however didn't know who or what the boys were. "Who are you talking about?"

"Couple of hunters we know. Their dad just died and they are on their own. They have been gathering Intel on the demon that killed both their parents. It is just sad that it happened like this."

"What do you mean?" Xander was curious.

"Well when they were kids, their mama was killed by a demon. So their father hit the road with a 4 year old and a baby and started hunting the thing. The boys were in an accident a couple weeks ago and their father succumbed to the injuries from the accident that the same demon caused."

"That is horrible. My condolences. They sound like family to you."

"Their daddy was once upon a time. I didn't meet the boys until today."

"Who are they?"

"Sam and Dean Winchester." Xander visibly paled. When Ellen looked up she noticed Xander was gathering up his stuff and trying to get the computer back from them. "I need to go."

Ellen was puzzled. "What is going on kid?"

"You can have access to the virtual library. I can give you access really quick. Then I have to leave."

"Bobby is not going to be here for another hour or so. What are you going to do, walk?"

"No I was just going to head back to my car and stay there until Bobby got here."

"Why are you acting all skittish. You started acting up the minute I said the Winchesters name."

"It is nothing that I want to talk about. So here." Xander had set them up with a way to get into the virtual library. "That is how you get into the library and my email address if you have any questions about something."

"Thank you for this."

"Yeah, just don't give it to everyone. Be their source or whatever but don't give them complete access because our individual files are in there as well."

"Can we let the boys use it, well I should say Sam since he is their researcher for jobs?"

"Yeah, he can actually copy all the files to a disc. He won't need the virtual library if they don't get internet connection." Xander said all of this while packing up and laying money on the counter to grab a soda. "Could you tell Bobby that I am about a half a mile up the road?"

"Sure kid." With that Xander left.

Ellen looked at Joe and Ash, "Did you think that was weird?"

"Which part?" Joe asked.

"The part of all of it?"

Ash was looking into Xanders actual file since the kid said it was on there. "This says that Xander is 18 even though something is off about his birth, his height and weight, his grade point average, his parent which is a mother named Jessica Harris, this says his father is unknown. It also says that he has stopped 4 out of 5 apocalypses. His nicknames are the One who sees, because apparently he sees things that the others don't when they come up against something they need to research and the White knight for talking down the deadliest of Vampires without a weapon, injured and protecting a girl in the hospital. There is a whole lot more in here. I think it is his journal of things that he has done. Give me some time and I can read through it. It doesn't look like anyone accesses it but him."

While they were listening to Ash Ellen and Joe just got more and more surprised. This kid should not have been fighting like this for so long and so young. "What do you mean something is off about his birth"

"Well his documents look tampered with. He has two sets. Ah, here is the other one. He is 16."

"What the hell?" Ellen started to get her coat to go bring the kid back. That was when Bobby walked in.

"Where is Xander?" Bobby asked.

Ellen looked at Ash and Joe. "He said he was going back to his car to wait for you. Bobby before you go get him, we might want to tell you some things."

Bobby looked at them in confusion. He sat down at the bar and they filled him in on everything they learned. Bobby was swearing up a storm by the time they finished. "No kid should have to do this, and he has been doing it for the last three years. That means that boy was fighting monsters at 13, 14 years old."

"Yeah, and he acted like it was nothing. The only time we had a problem is when I mentioned the Winchesters'. It was like he couldn't get out of here fast enough."

"I will take care of him Ellen. Make sure the boys get all that information in that library of his. It can only help them."

"Will do Bobby." Bobby then headed for the door. What the hell?

(((((((((

Xander was completely numb. He just found out his father died. It is not like he knew him. According to one son he wasn't family anyway. But he did want to know his dad. Now he never could. Not to mention his brothers were hunters. Great just great and Ellen knew them. He could not be more screwed even if he tried. He made it back to the car and just sat there. He didn't even notice over an hour later when his uncle pulled up to the car. But that was how Bobby found him. It took several knocks against the window to get his attention. From there Bobby loaded the car up on the wrecker and got Xander in the front. Soon they were headed to Bobby's house.

((((((

Dean and Sam wrapped the clown job and got back to the Road House. They just sat down with a beer when Ash came out and said that he had been waiting for them. Dean was impressed. "So this rig will go off when the demon comes out?"

"Yep. I will know when and if this thing pops up again."

"Awesome. So what has been going on here other than that?"

Ash looked at Ellen. "Well we found out some new things about the supernatural."

"What kind of things?"

"Well is a long story. This kid came in because his engine died. Ends up the kid is Bobbys nephew. I noticed with the things he was saying that he was a hunter. So I asked him how long he been fighting the supernatural and he got all tense and tried to play dumb. He came clean and said he had been fighting since his sophomore year in high school. Let me tell you the things we learned in two hours of talking to that kid, I am surprised he isn't insane fighting those things every night for over three years."

"What are you saying Ash?" Sam asked.

"What I am saying is there is a whole other world out there boys and he has been fighting it nightly. He said he was looking for his family because he needed some time away from the crazy in his life. That is how we found out about Bobby being his uncle. He also gave us access to all his information. I made Sam a copy of his virtual library and its all on disc." Ash passed the disc to Sam. "Do not try and read that all at once. There are terabytes of data on that thing. Plus the files of his people and his virtual diary. I suggest you do not read it. Also I will send you updates when they happen. According to the filing codes they update almost weekly, so I will send you a copy monthly. That way you can stay caught up."

"Thanks Ash. Who was this kid anyway?" Sam asked.

"He said his name was Xander Harris." Ash and Ellen watched as Dean slowly set his beer down and his face got pale.

Dean couldn't believe it. He was supposed to find the kid and here he fell right in his lap. "Are you sure that is what he said his name was?"

Ellen who was now really curious as to why Xander would pale and Dean would pale said, "Yeah. Funny thing. When I mentioned your names the kid went pale just like you did. He made a big rush of getting out of here as well. Want to tell me what's going on?"

Dean thought about it. He knew they were going to have to come clean about it he just wanted a little more time and maybe find the kid first. "Ellen, that kid that came in here. He is our brother. Dad found out a couple years ago that he had another kid."

Ellen couldn't believe it. That is why the kid looked familiar. John Winchester was his father. "That doesn't explain the fact that the kid went pale." Then she thought about it. OH GOD. "I told him your story. He knows that John is dead. Dean you have to get to him and explain some of the things that are going on to that kid."

Dean got a little nervous. "That might not be the best thing Ellen."

"Why the hell not?"

"Well see, Dad wasn't the first one to find out he existed. I was. I told the kid he was nothing more than blowing off steam and that he shouldn't contact us again. Dad told me right before he died that I should find him but I wasn't sure if I should."

"Boy, you really did it this time. He just found out his father died. He thinks he isn't wanted. He is only 16."

This snapped Dean's head up. "What?"

"He just graduated. Ash found his official birth records and stuff and found out that he is only 16 even though he is telling everyone he is 18. From what Ash could gather, his mother changed his record because she didn't want to be a mother anymore and became a drunk that fell into the bottle just like that husband of hers. Ash also made calls to Sunnydale asking about Xander to the hospital after reading the kids journal. He had his own room at the hospital because his "father" beat him."

Dean listened and the guilt just kept coming. His kid brother was supposed to be the best out of them. He wasn;t supposed to be part of this world. "Where is he?"

"Last we knew Bobby came and got him. Took him back to his house. Bobby called to let us know they got there safely."

Dean stood up, Sammy followed. "We will see you guys around."

Dean and Sam hit the road. They has some things to deal with. It was a couple hours' drive to Bobby's house. They settled in for the drive.

(((((((

Bobby was worried about the kid. He spent all of his time out in the yard. Bobby scrapped his car. Not only did the engine fall out but the vehicle wasn't safe at all. He gave him an older car but in much better condition. He gave his a put it back together 1967 Chevy Charger. The kid spent most of his time out there fixing it. When he ran into a problem Bobby would help him. He asked the kid questions but they were short and eventually Xander showed him his journal. Bobby found out why the kid was quiet though. He said he just found out his dad died. So he helped Xander when he needed it but basically left the kid alone and waited for him to come to him.

Xander was making real progress on the car. He got it stripped to see what he was going to need and started putting the engine parts together. He was getting ready to drop the engine in. He found the final piece on another old car that he needed to complete it and was getting the cherry picker ready to put the engine back in. He was grateful to Bobby for everything he was doing. It gave him time to think and mourn the loss of a father he never had. Honestly he was just glad for the downtime. No monsters to hunt just working on a car. Xander had just got the engine over the car when Whistler showed up. "You know kid you can't avoid the Devils trap forever. Bobby will notice."

"I know. I just wanted time to relax before I had to tell him that I need to be thrown in there for whatever to happen."

"I understand kid but you might want to do that sooner rather than later."

"Why?"

"Because your brothers are on their way here to see you."

"Wait. How did they find out where I was?"

"Think about it."

Xander thought back. The people at Harvells. Dammit. "I should have realized they would talk but I just needed to get out of there and I did before I could tell them not to tell them how they got the information."

"No one is blaming you kid. But you have struck a deal and you know you have to do it. You can only go back to Sunnydale in dire situations. By the way, I got all your stuff here. Do you know that your step father is a demon?"

"Yeah I have known for years. I just avoided him. Well hell. Let me get this thing down and go tell Uncle Bobby what is going on."

"Ok kid, I will be keeping in touch, that was another condition of the higher ups. You know that you are going to be in agony while the taint and the spells come off of you right?"

"Yeah I know." Xander finally got the engine where it needed to be. It was down and unhooked. He looked at Whistler and said bye before making his way to the house. When he walked in, he skirted the Devils trap and found Bobby is what was considered his office. "Hey Uncle Bobby."

Bobby looked up. Xander was acting weird. "What is going on Xander?"

"Well this is going to sound bad but we need to throw me in a devils trap."

Bobby slowly got up reaching for his holy water. "Why would we need to throw you in a devils trap?"

Xander watched his uncle. He saw him reach for the holy water. "It is nothing like that Uncle Bobby. Here I will drink the stuff if you want me to, to prove it." Xander reached for it and Bobby watched as Xander took the top off and drank the holy water. When nothing happened Bobby relaxed.

"So what's going on Xander?"

"The place where I lived, you have read about it in my journal, well the hellmouth leaks energy. I was born and raised in Sunnydale. What that means is that I have taint from the energy that needs to siphon off. There have only been 8 hellmouth children that have been born there. Most turn evil or die very young. It is a miracle that I survived as long as I did without becoming something that you would have to put down. Because I actually fought against the evil things is what saved me from that path. Problem is not only the taint though."

Bobby was taking this well. He understood so far. "What else?"

"Well apparently my loving parents thought they should place spells on me. Not to mention my friend who is also a witch put some spells on me that need to break. The Devils trap will take care of all of that. It will siphon a lot of the taint off and break the spells."

Bobby was surprised to find that Devils traps could do this. He reached for his book on the Devils traps. If it wasn't in there then he would have to take notes. "So just go in there and get it done boy. What are you waiting for?" Bobby looked up from the book to ask.

Xander cringed. "The problem is that it is going to be wicked painful. I might scream. I have been avoiding since I got here to just relax and rest. I was going to do it soon but it needs done now."

Bobby hadn't found what he was looking for. He was going to have to update the new things he just learned. "Well we should just get it over with. We can't have you trapped in one forever."

Xander just nodded. They both heard an engine roar and come up the drive way. Xander blew out a breath. It was now or never. "Uncle Bobby, I am just going to change and get in some comfy clothes. Might as well be comfortable to be in excruciating pain."

"Bobby just nodded and watched Xander skirt around the Devils trap and head upstairs to his room. Bobby then went to the door and picked up his rifle. He walked out onto the porch and waited while the boys got out of the car. "What brings you by?"

Dean and Sam just looked at each other. "It is a discussion for inside I think Bobby." Sam said.

"Well you know the drill." They both drank the holy water. "But maybe it could wait a bit. We got some things to do right now."

"What do you mean?"

"Well got a bit of a situation to deal with so just stay back and let it be done."

They looked at each other again and shrugged their shoulders. They walked in the house as Xander was making his way down to the room. He stopped when he saw them. Bobby looked back and forth between all the boys. "Xander you ready?"

That brought Xander back to the present. "Yeah." He moved past them and into the room. He tested the barrier and the other three just stepped back.

"What the hell?" The coming from Dean.

"I will explain in a bit." Bobby said.

Xander ignored them. He pushed on the barrier again only this time he put his whole body in the trap. He sighed a bit when nothing happened. Just when he thought it was safe, his skin started to glow. The first spell was coming off and he noticed a black residue was coming out as well. That was when it hit him. The most intense pain he had ever felt. It knocked him to his knees. A different color along with black taint started coming out of his skin. This did make him scream and he was flat on his stomach.

Sam and Dean watched as Xander entered the trap. A few moments went by and they saw the glow, then they saw Xander fall. They rushed towards the trap but they bounced right back. They looked at Bobby but Bobby didn't understand either. "What the hell Bobby?" Dean was confused.

In Bobby fashion he told them what Xander had told him. Dean and Sam paled. "How long is this supposed to last?"

Bobby didn't have a clue and just shrugged his shoulders. He put the gun down and walked around the trap. More and more spells were leaving the kid. So was this black taint that he figured was the hellmouth that Xander talked about. "I think you boys need to tell me why you are really here."

So that is what they did over the next several hours. Dean told Bobby everything. Bobby was stunned to find out that John was Xander's dad.

((((((

Xander was in pure agony. Thank you Willow for all the spells. The possessions that he had stayed right where they were. He didn't want to lose them anyway. They helped him in so many ways. Xander didn't think he could last much longer. Then finally his skin stopped glowing. He felt the taint of the hellmouth leave but didn't think he would ever be rid of it completely. Four hours later Xander was done.

They gathered around Xander when they heard him groan. Bobby moved to Xander side and grabbed his shoulders to roll him over. Xander almost cried out in pain. Bobby dropped his hand. Xander was on his back. "Xander what do you need."

Xander opened his mouth but couldn't speak. It hurt too much. He licked his lips and noticed that he could taste blood. He just wanted to lay here. Bobby wasn't going to leave the kid on the floor. "Dean grab his upper body, Sam grab his feet. We need to get him upstairs so he can rest."

Dean and Sam moved to do what they were told. When they picked Xander up he let out a whimper. Dean looked at Sam. They moved quickly. They got Xander to his room and covered him up. Xander fell asleep instantly.

"What do we do now Bobby?" Sam looked at him.

"I think we should take turns watching over him until he is vertical again."

"I will take the first watch." Dean brooked no argument. He got settled in on the comfy chair in Xanders room.

Bobby knew that Dean had a lot of guilt for the way that he treated his youngest brother so Bobby let it go. He and Sam would go and make something to eat. Xander didn't wake up for 24 hours. Dean never left his side.

**The choice is up to the fans. For those of you who are following my Lost Girl Story, I am working on it, it is not quite ready though. If you would like me to continue this story please let me know. I do enjoy reading the reviews and even take suggestions into my stories. **


	2. a confrontation

**OK, lets just say that I know the song I picked in the chapter was not one that existed back when this stuff was going down in the show. I just thought the song was fitting so I used it. I do not own anything and all mistakes are mine. **

Xander became aware of his screaming bladder before he even opened his eyes. He made to move and groaned. He almost forgot the wicked painful leeching of things from his body. On top of that he was betting that he hadn't moved while he was asleep, which made for wicked painful muscles that have tightened up over the last how many hours. He made to move again and felt hands on him. Xander not thinking about where he was, swung first.

Dean fell asleep in the chair. He didn't want to leave in case Xander needed anything. He wouldn't even let Sammy come in and help. It wasn't like the kid was going anywhere anyway. Dean woke up to the first groan. He didn't hear anything else and settled in to watch when Xander started moving. He moved in to help the kid and as soon as he put his hands on him he had to duck. "Chill dude. Just trying to help."

Xander finally opened his eyes and remembered where he was. "Ok." What else was he supposed to say? This must be one of his brothers. Xander swung his legs to the floor. He found his center and stood up. He got dizzy and leaned on the foot board.

"Do you need help?"

"I need to….bathroom. Got a little dizzy, give me a minute."

Dean stood back. He watched his brother. He didn't notice when they put him to bed, but there was a blood streak coming from his mouth that had dried. Whatever the kid had to go through must have been painful for him to only scream once. If he had blood in his mouth then he bit pretty hard on something.

Xander stood again and moving like a 90 year old man made his way out the door and down to the bathroom.

Dean watched his brother move. He did not look all right. A minute later he heard the door shut. About a minute after that he heard the shower come on. He decided to go down and tell them he was a wake. Dean walked down stairs and found them in the kitchen. "He is moving again. I heard the shower come on. He is looking rough."

"How rough?" This coming from Bobby.

"He is moving like he is 90. I am betting the hot water is going to be all used up by the time he gets out trying to get those muscles to loosen. I would like to check him over for other injuries after he gets out of the shower. He had a blood streak coming from his mouth."

"Dean let's just ask him what he needs for now." Sam told him. Dean nodded. They all heard the shower shut off. They didn't want to bombard the kid but they (as in Sam and Dean) wanted to talk to him. They has some things they needed to tell the kid and they has some questions as well.

(((((

Xander felt about as well as being hit but a bulldozer. The shower loosened him up some but he figured moving would manage the rest. He needed to hunt. The hyena was restless and the best way to get muscles to move was to work them and hunting would do the job. He grabbed his clothes and shoes. He stayed in the towel because the best way to hunt was naked. He did not know what he was going to tell the others but he needed to do this. He made his way downstairs. All three of them were in the kitchen. It looked like they were waiting to pounce. They were going to have to wait. "I need to take care of something I will be back." It was almost comical the way they all looked at him.

"What do you need to take care of that needs to be now?" Dean asked.

"It is none of your business." Xander deadpanned him.

Dean bristled. Bobby was just confused and Sam just gave a look that said "What the hell."

Xander made for the door. "These things require that you are not clothed?" Bobby asked in amusement. Xander sighed. He walked over to the table and eased down.

"You got a question, ask it Uncle Bobby."

"What are you doing?"

"Have you been reading my journal in the virtual library?" Bobby nodded. "Have you come to the school trip to the zoo?"

"I didn't want to invade your privacy, so it has been slow."

Xander nodded. He could understand that. "Well I suggest you read it. Then you will understand that I need to go out." With that he got up albeit slowly. He was still holding his clothes and shoes. Bobby watched him move. Dean was still confused and Sam didn't understand either. Xander walked out of the house. Bobby went to get Xanders laptop.

Bobby sat back down at the table and opened the virtual library and clicked on Xanders journal. He moved to where he left off and skipped ahead a couple pages to where it said school fieldtrip. Bobby started reading. _In the aftermath of the fieldtrip, I realized three things. The alpha hyena that possessed me is still in me. Two, I remember everything that happened, and three I cannot tell the girls that I remember or about the possession. Her name is Nala and we struck a deal. I would stay in the driver's seat and for her I would hunt and kill demons. It made her all warm and fuzzy inside. In the event that we are ever in trouble, she is allowed to take control if she thinks that I am in mortal danger. It is amazing how the body can change with a primal alpha running in your body. When I hunt my eyes glow green and my speed and other things clear up and get sharper. For my own sanity I had a blood test taken. I am no longer completely human. She has changed my basic DNA sequence. As I learn more I will update. _Bobby did not know what to do. Sam and Dean were watching him. Bobby just turned the computer around. Sam dragged it over between him and Dean. Bobby watched as both of them looked like kicked puppies.

"What the hell?" Dean got up and walked to the fridge to get a beer.

"Dean you have to remember that he deals with things that we have never even heard of."

"But possession Bobby, and one that has changed him from human to not human? If other hunters found out about him he would be on the chopping block."

Sam who had been listening said, "How is it any different than me?"

"You are different Sammy. You are not possessed."

"Yeah but I am not human either, at least not fully." Sam actually laughed. Dean looked at him with WTF face. "You are the only normal one in this family Dean."

"That is not funny. Do you think I want hunters on our ass because of you two not being…..whatever."

"Dean it is not like we have a choice. You need to accept this. Especially if you want that kid to talk to you. He has been living with that possession for three years. It is a part of him now. Even if you wanted to get rid of it, you would probably kill him in the process."

Dean thought about that. He didn't want his brother to die. Hell he didn't want either of his brothers to die. But Sam had a point. Their lives were never going to be normal and if hunters came after them he would deal with that when the time came. "Fine. I won't do anything to get rid of it. But that kid has questions coming his way."

Bobby just sat back watching the byplay between those two. "That is good and all but we have only scratched the surface of what that kid knows. I have left him alone since he got here because he said he just lost his dad. Now that I know it was John, we have to be prepared for questions ourselves."

Dean and Sam looked at each other. They silently concluded that this could get messy.

They heard footsteps on the porch. A moment later Xander came in and went to the sink. They all noticed the blood on his mouth and hands. He cleaned up real quick and turned to look at them. All three of them stepped back. Xander forgot about his eyes. "They clear up in about 30 minutes. It takes that long to shuffle her back." He watched as they all relaxed a bit. "Trust me. I do not kill or hunt humans. She actually likes humans. Also on the plus side, anyone I consider family is pack and she protects them." Xander sat down at the table.

Dean decided this was as good a time as any. "Do you have any questions for us? You know about dad or us?"

Xander didn't even have to think about it. "Nope."

That had Dean and Sam sitting back. "From what Ellen had said and from what Bobby told us, you took dads death a little hard."

"Just for clarification. He was your dad. I do not have a father. You made that very clear when I tried calling for help. To me that man was nothing. He didn't want to be a part of my life. I dealt with things and moved on. So my question to you is, what is your point? Why would you care how I felt about the man? I didn't take it hard. I was confused. I got my head straight. I did what needed to be done to move on."

Dean was sure he just got the _PISS OFF _speech. "Xander I do care. You are family even though I was pissed at the time. I tried looking for you. I went to Sunnydale. I wanted to know what you looked like but I did not want you to know who I was. I couldn't ask questions because then they would have gotten back to you. I left after two days because I couldn't find you without you finding me."

Xander "Hmmm'd." Dean watched him. "So like the big brother you claimed you weren't you checked up on me. Once. Wow. That is real impressive. You spent two days in Sunnydale and didn't notice how wacked out the town was. Or that we have 18 cemeteries. Did you not step out of your motel room? DO not bothering answering. Look you may consider family high on your list but as far as I am concerned I do not put much stock in family. I had a made family after I found out my so called parents didn't want anything to do with me. Then you know what happened, the family I made decided I wasn't good enough. They thought I was a zeppo, a nobody, when it came to the fight against the night. Did you know that the first thing I killed was my best friend? I staked him because he was turned into a vampire. Do you know what I had to do at my own graduation? No you don't. I planned a military attack against a man who was ascending into a full blood true demon the day that I was to graduate. We blew up our school to kill the thing. I lost friends to vampires. I lost friends to that monster. I averted another apocalypse. I am not some kid. I don't need my hand held to get through the tough stuff. Because for the things that I have been through in my short life, the tough stuff isn't nearly as bad as the world ending." With that Xander sat back. Throughout the whole speech he watched as they all got paler and a might pissed. He might have seen guilt on Deans' face but he wasn't sure.

Dean just sat there. "You are just a kid. You are only 16. Dad wanted me to bring you into the fold. It was one of the last things he said to me." Sam looked at him for that. Dean had told him, their dad didn't say anything to him.

"I may be 16, but by honor and society I am a man. I have loved and lost. I have had sex. I have graduated school and I have faced monsters, not only human but supernatural since I was 13. I have learned languages from ancient times and newer. By all that is holy or unholy in this world I am not a child and will never get the chance to be one." Xanders eyes were glowing again he could feel them. Nala recognized family but she felt Xander and his pain. "What do you want me to say? That I needed Dad? That I needed a brother? Because I did, WHEN I called you. After that little phone call I decided that it wasn't worth it. My own parents did not care. My step father made it a weekly habit of beating me. My mother was so far in the bottle after him that I don't even think they knew I was there other than when he was beating me. I had my own room at the hospital. No, no help came. Nala saved me. She gave me the strength to hit that bastard back. He left me alone after that. I grew up and realized that the only one that I could depend on was numero uno. So what do you want me to say to you?" Xander huffed. "Look, I know that people make mistakes, Goddess knows I have made my fair share. But I learned that there is only one time to make a first impression. I learned that you cannot rely on anything that is not fact. There was at one point, where I wanted to know John. Did you know he called my home asking me to come to my graduation? I had to tell him no. I made it impossible for him to know me because I did not want him in harm's way when that demon ascended. I figured I could track him down after graduation while I was looking for family. He did reach out and I backhanded him because I didn't want him to die. Now I will never get to know the man himself. Stories about him are not going to make him my father. Telling me he was a good man is not going to make me believe it. Asking questions leads to two outcomes. One, I miss the loss of a father I never knew. Where right now I feel nothing and can deal. Or two, you make me hate him because of all the things I never got to do with him that you did. Is that what you want?"

Dean actually had tears in his eyes. Bobby had his head bowed. Xander never broke eye contact with Dean. Sam felt ashamed. He knew that he didn't like Dad all that much but he had it way better than Xander did. It made their fights look mild in comparison. The other three at the table could never understand the pain that Xander had. They can understand the anger but they would never understand the pain. Bobby finally picked up his head. "Xander."

"Bobby I came looking for you because I wanted to know if I had any family that cared. You gave me space to get my crap together. I made a deal. I cannot go back to Sunnydale. I can only go back when they are in dire straits. Meaning big boss show downs. Which tend to happen once a year. What I need is time. Time to relax. Time to figure out what I am going to do. Time to figure out what I want. So for now, I am going to fix that car you gave me. I am going to learn from you how to fix cars and help out around here. Save some money and figure things out. If that is alright with you?"

Bobby nodded. "Whatever you need to do. I will support you." With that Xander got up. He went outside to the back garage where his car was. It needed a lot of work.

All three of them remained at the table. Bobby got up and got glasses and whiskey. Dean sniffed. Sam sighed. "I am not going to push him Bobby but he is family." Dean took his shot of whiskey.

"You heard the boy. He needs time. Spend some time with him, if he will allow it. Get to know him. Let him get to know you boys. You have to fix the impala anyway. You are going to be here for a while."

"What car did you give him Bobby?" Sam asked him.

"The 1967 Chevy charger. He is making real good work on it. He got the engine dropped in. He needs to bolt it down and make all the connections. He is a quick learner too. When he gets stuck he asks, I tell."

Dean was only half paying attention. "So he is good with tools. Bobby he is so angry."

"Wouldn't you be? You heard him. He is not a kid anymore Dean. I don't even think he knew what one was supposed to be."

"Neither did I."

"But you had Sammy to take care of. Granted your Daddy didn't act like a Daddy. He didn't beat you or never make you feel like you were not wanted. He loved you boys even if he didn't show it. He gave you what you needed to survive in this world, even if it was a little backwards and not at all fatherly. Xander didn't even have that. He has to learn to trust you. That takes time." Bobby nodded and then made his way outside. He was going to see if Xander needed any help.

Dean conceded that point. How was he supposed to gain the trust of the most distrustful man on the planet? He would figure it out. Maybe if he asked the kid to help him with the car? It was a place to start anyway.

Sam didn't know what to do. Xander obviously didn't need them. He could tell that Dean was not going to let this go. Maybe he could ask Xander about his demons and stuff. That at least would give him somewhere to start talking to the boy. They both say in silence over everything they heard and their own thoughts.

((((((((

Bobby made his way to the back garage. He walked around the car. Xander was making the various connections from the engine to the car itself. He would have that all done soon enough. "After you get all of that done, what are you going to do next?"

Xander popped his head up. "I was thinking axels and all the stuff that goes with the brakes, rotors, lines, cables, tires, and the bearings. Get this thing off the blocks. Fix the wheel wells and then add the door hinges." Bobby nodded. Xander was definitely on his way to making this car look beautiful. "So you come out here to give me a lecture?"

"No lecture. Just checking on the car."

"Yeah, the car." Xander smirked. "Look, I do not know how family is supposed to work. I am learning with you. And I don't know how to get that phone call out of my head. He completely told me to stay away. So I did. Now he gets an order from their father and he expects me to just jump right in. I can't do it." Xander sighed and clicked the wrench against the metal.

"Why don't you let them try to get to know you? What could it hurt Xander? You could do a lot worse and from the way you were talking it sounds like worse is what you had."

"Bobby I may only be 16 but I have already lost everyone I ever cared about. Not only to death but to booze, monsters, and their own arrogance. I don't think I have the fight left to let anyone else in."

Bobby could understand that. When he lost his wife he felt the same way. But the two boys in there got to him. "Just try. If and when you feel like it. Just know that once you are a Winchester, family loyalty is the highest priority. Dean and Sam would die for each other. That and they are going to be around for a while. Dean has to fix the Impala."

"That thing is toast. How is he going to fix that thing?"

"You would be surprised at what that boy can do with tools and incentive."

Xander shook his head. "You really care about them."

Bobby smiled. "I do. I tried to protect them from John when they were younger. Trying to let them be kids instead of soldiers. John and I had a big fight about it. They spent some of their time here when John was on hunts."

"They are hunters Uncle Bobby. They are never in the same place twice. Granted I was stationary but monster hunting all the time. I did that. I am not saying that I am not going to continue. I just don't want it to be my whole life."

Bobby could understand that as well. "So don't let it become your whole life. Figure out what you want and get it Xander." Bobby looked at the car one last time and started walking out of the garage. He turned the corner and promptly ran into Dean.

What neither of them knew was that Dean had followed Bobby shortly after he left the house. He wasn't going to eavesdrop but he couldn't help himself. He heard the whole conversation. He was still standing there when Bobby came out. Bobby just gave him a face and turned Dean around. Dean needed to leave the kid alone for right now.

Xander went back in the house but only to grab his ipod. It was way too quiet out in the garage. He needed to get lost in the music. He rigged up some speakers for the ipod and turned the music all the way up. The first song that popped up was The Quest by Bryn Christopher. He actually found the song fitting. It also had a good beat.

Dean watched from where the Impala sat. He saw his brother sing along to the words. His brother had some interesting music choices. Most of the songs Dean had never heard. Some were good and some were absolutely bad. He couldn't say anything though. He listened to music that never made it out of the 80's. He noticed that Xander was still moving slow and not quite up to par. His brother needed time to heal. He wasn't going to bombard the kid. His speech about dad kind of hit home. What would it be like to never know your father? Xander did have a point. If they told him about their father, nothing good could come of that. He actually had to think about it but Sammy and Xander were alike. Sammy never knew mom. Not really. Dean himself had memories of his mother. Would it be better if he was like Sammy and not remembered her or grateful because of the memories that he got to share with her? His brothers had more in common than they thought.

Meanwhile while Dean was watching Xander and Xander was jamming fixing the car, Xanders phone rang. He made to pause the music. He answered the phone. "Hey Wills." He had a slight smile on his face. "…." "Willow, slow down. I know you haven't talked to me in a while but my Willow babble hasn't been used in weeks." "…." "Soldier guys?" "…." "What does Giles think?" "…" "Well let me know if I can do anything." "…." "Will, I do not think I am coming back. I need to figure some stuff out." "…" "No I am not telling you where I am currently, and do not do a locator spell. I will fill you in when I am ready to talk. I love you Willow but you cannot help me right now." "…" "You have Oz, and you know you can call me to babble. It will keep me from getting rusty." "…." "I am here for you. I will always be your Xander shaped friend but I needed time and that is all I am asking for is time." "…" "Yes, Will. You will see me again. It is not like I can forget my oldest friend in the Universe." "….." "I will and remember rule one." ".." "That is the one. Look go do what you gotta do. I will speak to you later." "…" "Bye Willow." With that Xander hung up. When he did he looked up and right into the eyes of Dean. Granted he was a ways over but he was still there. Xander just shoved the phone back in his pocket and turned the music back on.

Dean listened with rapt attention. He found out a few things from that conversation. There was definitely more than one person that Xander had worked with. Willow is his best friend. Willow is a witch. And Xander has rules to live by. Who he wanted information on. Willow, Giles, and this Oz. The kid had an online journal in that virtual library. Maybe the others did too. He has some research to do. Maybe it will give him a way to talk to Xander. With that he pushed off the Impala and made his way to the house.

When he got in the house Bobby and Sam were talking in the study. He made his way to them. "Bobby?"

"Yeah?"

"Xander has an online journal. Does the people he hunted with have files as well?"

"Yeah. That is why you guys only have access. Ash was told that he could be a reference source but to not give the library out. Xander made him that deal. Why do you want to know?"

"Xander just got a phone call. It sounds like that town of theirs is getting a little uppity and I was wondering who the people he hunted with were."

"Well from what I can tell, there is a Buffy Summers. She is the slayer. Did some research. She is not a myth either. Faith Lehan. Slayer number two by their books. She went rogue and started killing humans. Xander tried to reach her but she almost killed him. Rupert Giles, watcher for the slayer. Well Buffy anyway. Faith had some guy name Wesley. Angel or Angelus. Vampire was cursed with a Soul since he was the scourge of Europe. When he became a vampire he was the most vicious. Ended up with a gypsy curse and he has been fighting on the side of good since. Willow Rosenburg, witch in training. They monitor her so she doesn't do anything wrong. So far she is just learning. But with people teacher the right ways she should be alright. Oz, he is werewolf. Got bit by his cousin Jordy. They lock him up when he transforms. Someone stays with him all night armed with tranquilizer gun in case he gets out. There were a couple other people but none that stuck around or lasted very long. "

Dean listened to the people in Xanders life. He surrounded himself with some interesting people. "Is that all there is on his people?"

"No that was just the summery. They have been through hell and back literally. I have been reading more of his journal. In fact I haven't been able to stop reading it. What did you mean the town was getting uppity?"

"He was talking to Willow. Said they ran across some soldiers. Maybe we could do a little digging. Give them some help when the time comes?"

"Interesting. I will make some calls. Can't promise anything. If it is military it could be hard to get any information."

"It is just that if he does get called back for something, I don't want him going in blind Bobby."

Bobby could understand that. So that is what he did. He gathered as much Intel from the town he could. That was how the rest of the summer went. Dean fixed the Impala. Xander built his car. They all did research. Most of the time it was in different intervals. Dean for the most part, left Xander alone unless it was about a question when he came across something in the virtual library that he didn't understand.

Once the Impala was fixed, Sam and Dean hit the road again. Xander continued to work with Bobby saving up money. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do. It seemed the only thing he was good at was research these days. He continued to train with Bobby. Xander put his primal hyena on alert. He was pulling moves he could never show in Sunnydale.

The boys came back after a job. They were more confused because they didn't really do anything but they did find out Sam was immune to some demon virus. Dean started drinking a little bit more. Xander had been keeping in touch with the people in Sunnydale. Mainly Willow to see what was going on with the soldiers. They found out that they called themselves the initiative and Bobby made a few more calls. They tried to recruit Buffy but in the end they tried to kill her. They found out spike was imprisoned by them and was given a chip so he couldn't bite anyone. Xander thought that was on the positive side.

It was nearing the end of the school year for Buffy and Willow. But there was discord with the group. The boys were out on a job when Xander got the call. He was needed back in Sunnydale. Bobby asked if he could do anything. Xander thanked him but said he couldn't help. By then Xanders car was together and running. He painted it glossy black with racing strips. He grabbed his overnight bag and left Bobby's house.

Sam was abducted. Dean was going crazy. He called Bobby and asked if Xander was coming. Bobby told him Xander went back to Sunnydale for the boss showdown. Dean didn't have to choose. He needed to find Sam. Xander was with people and knew how to take care of himself. They found Sam and Dean struck the deal. The Road house burned down and the gates opened.

Meanwhile in Sunnydale, Xander saw through Spike and took care of that. They defeated Adam. He stuck around for the clean-up and hang out time with his Willow. He then made his way back to Bobby's.

When Xander got back to Bobby's, there was a mood. "What did I miss?"

Sam was pissed. He explained to Xander what went down. Dean's deal and the Devil's gate. Xander cursed. Dean would sell his soul for his brother. But Xander also saw through the blinders. There was something off. Dean should have gotten ten years and he only got one. If he could help it, he was going to find out if there was something else going on. Demons do not change up what they do. Xander was finally warming up to them a little and he didn't want his brother to go to hell. There had to be a loop hole and if there was he would find it.

Xander finally decided what he was going to do. He was going to be a hunter. Not like his brothers but be stationary like Bobby. Bobby even offered his home to Xander. He was really good at fixing the cars that came in. He also did side jobs in construction. Sherriff Mills even hired him for a job. Xander was making decent money. Sioux Falls might be a small place but everyone needed home repairs. Xander went on hunts that were close by or no more than 3 days out. In his downtime he looked for the loophole in Dean's deal. He of course wasn't telling anybody because he was still deciding if he should let them be family. If he wanted them to be a family he needed Dean alive. It was still something he was struggling with.

Xander made it a rule that he didn't interfere with his brothers jobs. So if they crossed paths it was unusual to say the least. He helped Bobby research while Bobby also ran the phones. Some interesting people out there for hunters. When Sam and Dean got lost in a town for a couple of weeks, he went after them. He ended up in the time loop with Sam watching Dean die over and over again. It was in this time loop that he saw through the proverbial cracks. He cornered the trickster and noticed something off. "Why do you have wings?"

"How can you even see them?"

"I just can. What are you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"I will figure it out. I just have one other question for you. Why the endless loop?"

"Let's just say that Sam needs to learn a lesson."

"What lesson would that be?" Xander was getting annoyed. He knew there was something that he was missing.

"Sam needs to learn that he cannot save his brother from the pit."

"And why is that?"

"Because he made a deal. Nothing can break a binding contract. Not to mention it is played out in the cards of their fate."

"Really. Another world ending apocalypse?"

"No. The apocalypse. Your brothers have set in motion a series of events that are going to lead to the big show down."

"Not if I can help it."

"Who are you?" The trickster asked Xander.

"I am their brother as well. Funny thing about apocalypses, I have averted a few in my time. Not everything is unbreakable."

"Unless you can overthrow things older than time itself there is not a way out of what they set in motion."

Xander thought about it. "I just might be able to do that." With that Xander took his blade out. He sliced his palm and broke the time loop spell. "There are things that even the old ones don't know."

The trickster just got wide eyed. "How did you do that?"

"I am not telling. He walked over to his brothers. "I think it is time to go." With that they left.

They got back to Bobby's and Xander went into the woods. He was going to spend some time with Nala. They had some things to talk about

**So here was the second chapter What did you guys think?**


	3. explanations

**To my fans you are right. It is the Dodge charger and I should have known that. Funny how looking at muscle cars can make your mix up names when you are writing a story. I got a comment from a person who thinks I am stealing from other stories. You would be right but as I explained in the first chapter, I wanted to explore some of the things that they did not write about since it was driving me crazy. As we move forward it will be a lot more of my own work since I got those things out and done. You have to remember this is just fanfiction and what we write has no bearing on what actually happened in the actual series. I mean this is a crossover from Buffy to the Supernatural. It is creative writing. Using other peoples ideas is not wrong if you take it somewhere they didn't. I mean have you seen the Arrow, Lost Girl, or even Once upon a time stories. They use the same ideas all the time. So hit me up with comments. I like ideas and suggestions and will use them if I think I can. I do not own anything from buffy or supernatural. I also do not have a beta and all mistakes are mine. **

Dean and Sam followed Xander back to Bobby's. They still didn't understand how the kid broke the loop. Dean looked at Sam, "Do you know what happened?"

Sam was thinking the same thing. "No I don't." It was a long drive back to Bobby's and Dean and Sam spent it in their own thoughts. Xander however was just jamming along to the music on his ipod.

They all made it back to Bobby's. Xander was smiling. Dean and Sam were just watching him. Bobby saw them all when they got out of the cars. He took up his position with the shotgun and waited. Xander drank his shot and moved out of the way. Dean and Sam took theirs. Bobby could sense the tension. "So what is going on boys?"

Dean looked at Xander, "I am still trying to figure that out Bobby."

Bobby looked back and forth between all the boys. "Well you want to start at the beginning or should I just guess?"

Dean was still trying to process what he saw. "You might want to ask Xander that question."

Xander just smiled. He has some research ahead of him and some conversations that he needed to have. "Look, I haven't figured it all out yet, but I will. I can give you theories or I can come to you when I have everything. Up to you to either wait or talk now."

Bobby watched the kid. He was practically bouncing. Dean and Sam look like they got smacked on their foreheads with a two by four. "Why don't you tell me anyway?"

Xander stopped bouncing and just sighed. "Bobby, I need to you look up things with sparkly wings. If it is what I think it is, then we all have a problem that we are going to have to deal with. Right now I need to go hunt. I will be back in a little while." With that Xander marched down the stepped and out into the woods.

Dean was still watching the place where his brother entered the woods. "Does he have to do that often?"

Bobby who had been reading the kids journal knew how often Xander had to hunt. "He has to hunt about twice a week. He can go longer in between when he takes out demons but it is pretty consistent. He doesn't mind. It keeps his reflexes at an inhuman speed. It is amazing how the people in Sunnydale didn't notice how much he had changed. He recorded every change from the time she came into his life up until now. He still writes in his journal."

Sam hadn't said anything up until this point. "Bobby, does he have a way of testing certain blood types? Like mine?"

"I don't think he has anything here to do it but I would ask him when he comes back. He stopped testing his DNA a while back because it stopped changing. It is amazing. Did you know he ages a lot slower now?"

They both looked at Bobby with confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Xander is going to look 16 for a while. He doesn't know how long but he guesses that by the time he is 28 – 30 he might start looking around 18. He will test aging again here is 6 months to see if his theory is correct."

Dean didn't know what to think. They might have to put his brother in a safe place eventually. "That kid has a lot of theories and not a lot of answers that he is willing to share."

"He is still learning to trust us Dean. He will tell us when he is ready. It might not be what we want to hear either. You have to remember that he works out patterns that no one else sees. We have a potential gold mine plus a curse with what that kid might find." Bobby noticed they were still on the porch. "Lets get inside and you can tell me what happened on the last job."

They all went inside and Dean grabbed beers out of the fridge. "I don't know where to start Bobby."

Sam knew where. "We went to this place. It was being controlled by a trickster. He had me and Dean in an endless time loop. I had to watch Dean die over and over again. Towards the end Xander found us. He saw what was happening. So as I watched Dean die over and over again, so did he. He cornered the Trickster and had a conversation with him. I only saw this from a distance but when the conversation was over, Xander sliced his palm and smacked it against the wall the trickster was leaning against and the endless loop ended. I don't know what he did but we left and came back here."

Bobby didn't understand. How could Xander do that? "He said I need to look up things with shiney wings. Do you know why?"

"No. But I think it has something to do with the trickster. If I am correct, I think Xander has a line on something that none of us are seeing right now."

Bobby started getting in research mode. "Why don't you boys clean up and relax. Xander will be back and we can ask him all the questions we need to." Dean and Sam just nodded and headed up stairs.

(((((((((

Xander hunted first. He knew that the conversation was going to have to wait. So he hunted. Then he perched up in a tree to talk to Nala. "Nala"

_Yes xander?_

_What is going on?_

_There are things that are older than angels and demons. God created many things in his lifetime. Humans just happened to be the last of his creations before he left it up to the Angles to protect what he created. _

_What sort of things are older than angels and demons?_

_Well I am for one. I am not the oldest creature that god has created and trust me god is not the only god around. _

_I know that God is not the only God. You can worship more than one. _

_Well god put in a fail-safe if the creatures he created ever got out of hand. That is why most of the creatures that he has created no longer exist like myself. We got out of hand and God took us from this earth, we very rarely show up and when we do it is like what you went through only we destroy our hosts, not merge with them. _

_So why did you merge with me? _

_I merged with you because I saw the memories that you had. I saw that we could work together and we have a great deal. I also love you now Xander. We have been through so much together already that I would gladly die for you if I had to._

_Wouldn't I die if you did that?_

_No, but you would never be human again. I would pass my life force to you and you would be immortal. _

_Huh. Interesting. Now on to what that guy was saying. _

_Xander that was an angel in hiding. He makes himself behave like a trickster because he does not want to be found. The thing with Dean and Sam is the start of the Apocalypse. The one that has been foretold. They sped up Deans deal because they have been waiting for it since God created humans. Dean and Sam are vessels of angels._

_You are talking the big show down between the brothers. The one that is going to wreck the planet. So how do we stop this?_

_He is your family. All you have to do is invoke the power of the pack. Demons don't understand that primals are far older and have bonds that cannot be taken by contracts. You would have to get the contract holder and take them out. The problem doesn't come with breaking the contract though._

_What is the trouble then?_

_His soul can still be marked for hell the next time that he dies. Destroying the contract only buys him time. He did sacrifice himself for his brother but it was for purely selfish reasons. He will still be marked for hell._

_But I can buy him time. That will work. He is family even though I do not know or trust him. He is pack. So is Sam and Bobby. They are pack and that is the end of it. _

_That is good Xander. Now we just have to find the contract holder and take care of them. _

_Do I have to mark them or something?_

_No. By stating that they are pack you formally brought them in. I could feel the link. They are yours Xander. They are mine. You do need to inform them of what is going on._

_Oh but watching their confusion is so fun. _

_Xander this is not fun. They need to know. But I do know what you mean. Dean is so uptight. Haha. _

_Ok Nala. Well let's get this show on the road. _

Xander came out of the conversation. It takes a lot to run primal and he was exhausted. He stumbled out of the woods. He was leaning on cars and moving slowly up to the house. He got the door open and closed it. All he did was slide down it. He was snoring before he even made it to his butt.

((((((

All three of them heard the door open and close. They figured Xander would wander in when he came in. When he didn't show up for ten minutes they went looking. Dean found him in front of the door. "Guys I found him."

Bobby and Sam came to the front door. All three of them looked at Xander in confusion. "Should we leave him there?" Said Sam.

"I don't see the problem with that. Maybe we should lay him down though. Sleeping like that cannot be healthy." So Dean and Sam laid Xander on his back. "I wonder what made him go from bouncy to sleeping like the dead."

Bobby thought back on the kids' journal. The only time Xander was ever tired after hunting was when he had talked to Nala directly. "He talked to Nala. When in that state he runs higher than normal and it wears him out."

Dean was mad. "Why does he do it then?"

"I imagine that is when he asks her questions. They have to communicate in order to keep what they have. To maintain the balance."

"Well, how long is he going to be like this then?"

Bobby thought back. "Could be a couple hours to into tomorrow. It depends on how long the conversation was."

Dean really didn't like that his brother was what he was. It was scary and he didn't know what it would lead to. He needed to read Xanders journal for himself. Then maybe he would get a better grasp on what to feel about it. "Well if that is the case then we should get back to work. He will join us when he wakes up." Dean went back to the office type room. Bobby and Sam followed.

A couple hours later Bobby had been through most of his books and with frustration closed the latest and rubbed his eyes. Both Sam and Dean had also struck out on the shiny wings. With the thump of Bobby closing the book, Sam and Dean shifted focus. They were all in varying degrees of stretching when they heard Xander moving.

Dean focused on him, "Does it always happen like that?"

Xander looked at him. He debated whether to tell them or not. He might as well. It was in his journal as well. "Yeah. See what happens is since they are technically higher beings than us, we (as in humans) don't have the capacity to run at that kind of level without being part demon or supernatural in some way. Since I am still technically a human being even though she changed my basic DNA, my body still can't keep up with running on a primal level."

"Is that why you hunt and use the gifts she gave you?" Sam asked in curiosity.

"It is some of it. I have a feeling that she is going to change me into a primal in the future as long as she stays there. I am thinking my DNA is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Nala. I hunt because she has made it my nature and I kill monsters to keep us both happy. She likes it when I am physical but she understands that I am human and need down time."

"Why didn't you tell your friends?"

"Well if you read the entire account then you wouldn't ask me that. The other reason however is Willow is a curious person and she would have wanted to know everything and the third reason is the counsel. They could take me and do their creepy and probably deadly tests on me and try to extract Nala. Not only would pulling her out kill me but she would take over. As far as I am concerned I can run the same tests and test my abilities in my own time and no one has to know what I am as long as you all keep your mouths shut. I do not need to be hunted."

Dean listened carefully. "We are not going to say anything. You would be hunted in our world just as fast if it got out. Hell we would probably be the ones to hunt you down if we didn't know who you were."

"Well at least that is honest. I don't blame people for being weary of the unknown. Hell between all of us we have probably seen the worst monsters out there, but I would be considered one and that is not on my to do list."

Sam smiled. Xander made a joke. "So, did you talk to Nala? In your journal it says you only do that when you talk to her."

"Yea I talked to Nala and found out some interesting things."

"What kind of things?" Bobby asked.

Xander thought about the conversation. "I know I had you look for things with shiny wings. Did you come up with anything?"

Dean slapped the book on the desk and stood up. "Not a single thing."

"You are not going to find it in any demon book. What we are dealing with are the opposite of demons."

All three of them gave him puzzled looks. If his body didn't hurt so badly right then he would have laughed. "Then what are we looking at? This coming from Bobby.

Xander took a deep breath. "Angels."

"Angels?" Dean said. "They do not exist."

"They do in fact exist brother mine. You met one, only he was in hiding."

Dean and Sam looked at him. "The trickster?"

Xander shook his head. "See before the humans existed Angels were created by God. The story is true. Lucifer was cast out of heaven because he didn't want to be inferior to humans. Then the first demons were born because of this. Good old Lucifer was trapped in his cage and the world keeps spinning."

Bobby who was sitting there contemplating what this meant had to ask, "Do you know what is going on Xander?"

"I do."

"Well what is it?"

"It the apocalypse."

"Another one?" Dean said.

"No, not another one, the Apocalypse. Wrath of Angels and war of their kind that will level the earth."

"I don't get it."

Xander knew this was not going to be fun. "The deal that you made Dean was not an ordinary deal. Instead of ten years you only got one."

"Yeah I know that."

"Well that is because you and Sam are the Angels vessels."

Sam stood up this time. "What do you mean?"

"There are certain bloodlines that house the bloodlines directly descending from angels. You and Dean are those vessels. That is why the deal was for only a year. They want to jump start the apocalypse. Free Lucifer and the final battle will begin."

"What final battle?" Bobby asked.

"The final battle between Michael and Lucifer. The one that will wipe out most of the population and half the planet."

Dean rubbed his face. "Assuming that I believe any of this, how was this supposed to work?"

"A righteous man will break in hell. You are a righteous man Dean. Then the Angels were to rescue you to bring you back to earth."

"Well how the hell do we stop it?"

"Well see that is the problem, we cannot stop it. We can get your contract revoked but we can't stop your soul for being marked for hell."

"What do you mean my deal can be revoked?"

"I found the loophole in the contract, the only problem is we have to find the contract holder in order for me to get it."

"What does that mean?" Bobby finally stood up.

"It means, you are lucky that I am your brother." Xander saw the looks of confusion. "Dean I have a primal inside of me. Something that is older than Angels and Demons. Once a primal takes blood as family or even friends as family that means they are protected. Angels and Demons should not take what is not theirs."

"SO you are telling us that because she claimed us as family, my contract is null and void?" Dean asked.

"Well basically but I need to make sure they know that, so we need to find out who holds your contract and kill them. And remember that your soul is still marked for hell. There is nothing I can do about that but as long as you don't die it is not a problem."

"Easier said than done kid." This coming from Bobby.

"Well now you are caught up. Anyone hungry?"

"You are thinking food right now?" Sam asked in a higher pitch.

"Look I don't know who holds the contract. I doubt we are going to find out anything anytime soon. We will keep on the job but we need to stay alive to do that and to stay alive means to eat. So yeah food." With that Xander walked into the kitchen to grab something to eat.

Dean turned to Bobby. "Do you think any of this is real?"

"Honestly Dean I do not know. I wouldn't bet against Xander but Angels. We have never seen an Angel or even heard of them being on Earth. You would think that they would give you heads up."

"I don't think they want to interfere if that is the case. They probably want it as badly as the demons do. If this is real, they would want to get it over with and leave none the wiser. What is it that Revelations said? That once it happens there should be paradise because they are banking on Lucifer dying?" Sam contributed.

"Well until I see solid proof that Angles exist, I am not banking on this. It would be nice to know who has my contract though. So we will be finding that out. And if I am not mistaken, If Xander claimed us as family that means we are making a breakthrough." Dean smiled.

"Not necessarily. He could have claimed us for a number of reason but I doubt it was because he believes that we are family." Sam informed them.

"Then why would he do it?"

"I did it because if you are dead then I do not get the chance to see if I want to be part of your family. You kind of need to be alive for me to know that." Xander said from the kitchen.

They all looked at Xander. He couldn't have heard them talking. "He heard that conversation from the kitchen?"

Bobby remembered something from Xanders journal. "Enhanced hearing Dean. Comes with the primal."

"Seriously?"

"Well I don't snoop on purpose. It kind of sucks at times. And I can get mad headaches from it but yes."

"So how are we going to find who holds my contract?"

"Now that is the sixty four thousand dollar question."

**So I thought this was a good place to end because Dean still doesn't believe in Angels and I am hoping to introduce Castiel in the next chapter. I left little strings in this one that need to be tied up as well. So let me know what you think. **


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